Crave: The Blood Oath

Chapter 9 - Come Back Rian

As Aaravi sat at the dining table, her mind swirled with conflicting emotions. The gentle clinking of cutlery was the only sound in the room, contrasting sharply with the storm brewing within her. Damini, seated across from her, tried to engage her in small talk, but Aaravi's thoughts were miles away.

Three days had passed since she found herself in this unfamiliar place, and the disorientation still hadn't faded. The luxurious surroundings of Rian's palace felt suffocating rather than comforting. She was surrounded by opulence, yet felt more trapped than ever. Her heart ached for Riyansh, who lay unconscious in his room, and her worry gnawed at her every waking moment. The child needed to get better—her prayers had become a constant plea to a silent God.

The memory of that night still haunted her. The way Rian had taken her, without a word, in the dead of night, felt like a betrayal. She had trusted him, or at least tried to, but his actions left her feeling violated. It wasn't right, she thought, stabbing her fork into a piece of toast. He should have spoken to her, approached her like any normal person. Why did he have to resort to something so extreme? She felt a surge of anger but swallowed it down, knowing it would do her no good here. She was trapped, a prisoner of Rian's misguided protection.

And then there was the Batra family. Her heart twisted in her chest when she thought of them. They must be worried sick, searching for her, not knowing where she was or what had happened. The thought of them fearing the worst weighed heavily on her conscience. But what could she do? She was as helpless as they were, stuck in a place she didn't belong, without even a phone to reach out and tell them she was okay—or as okay as one could be in her situation.

She glanced at Damini, who smiled reassuringly, but it did little to ease her turmoil. Damini had been kind, trying to make her feel at home, helping her adjust, but this wasn't home. This was a gilded cage, and Aaravi longed for the familiar chaos of her life before all this.

Rian's absence added another layer to her unease. She hadn't seen him since that morning. A part of her was relieved—she wasn't sure how she'd react if she did—but another part of her felt abandoned. He had brought her here, but for what? To leave her alone to stew in her own fears?

Riyan's giggles broke through her thoughts, a brief moment of innocence that made her heart ache even more. She looked at him, playing contentedly in his cot, unaware of the complexities around him. If only she could shield him from all this, from the mess that her life had become.

As she forced herself to eat, the emptiness of the vast palace weighed on her. None of Rian's family knew she was here, and perhaps that was for the best. But the secrecy only added to her feeling of isolation. The walls of this palace, so grand and imposing, felt like they were closing in on her.

She had no choice but to endure, to hope that Riyansh would recover, and that somehow, she could find a way out of this nightmare. For now, all she had were her prayers and the faint glimmers of strength she could muster from within.

Aaravi's thoughts were heavy, tangled in the web of her current situation. She was lost in contemplation when Damini's voice broke through the silence.

"What are you thinking?" Damini asked, noticing Aaravi's slow, distracted eating.

Startled, Aaravi blinked, her gaze shifting from the half-eaten food to Damini. "Nothing, I was just... thinking about my life," she replied softly, her voice tinged with a sadness that had become all too familiar. "Aunty Radhika must be so worried about me. I had a life, work to do. I'm glad I found my husband, but this... this isn't the right way to reveal the truth to someone. Mr. Rian should have met me in person and explained everything."

Damini listened quietly, sensing the turmoil within Aaravi. The weight of the secrets, the confusion of being thrust into a situation she neither understood nor consented to—it was all too much. Aaravi felt like a pawn in a game she didn't even know was being played.